You Are What You Eat When It Comes To Depression American Journal of Psychiatry report claims that diet can influence biological factors. From WSJ by Staff Writer, Janauary 14, 2010 If you suffer from depression, what you eat could affect how you feel. A growing number of studies are emphasizing the importance of diet in the management of the depression which strikes more than 15 million adults here in the U.S. Sandy Paluzzi prides herself on eating a healthy, balanced diet. "Processed food very rarely, we eat fresh vegetables and eat fresh fruit," said Paluzzi. Research out of Australia shows mood disorders like depression and anxiety are more common in women who eat processed, refined, high fat foods. "The brain is an organ just like the heart, and every other part of the body and the brain would naturally be affected by your nutritional intake," said Dr. Steven Crawford, Sheppard Pratt. After analyzing the diets and psychiatric evaluations of more than a thousand women over a 10 year period, the researchers found those who consumed a western diet of primarily hamburgers, white bread, pizza, chips, flavored milk drinks, beer and sugar laden foods were more than 50 percent more likely to develop anxiety and depression. Meanwhile, those who consumed a traditional Australian diet of mostly fruits, vegetables, beef, lamb, fish and whole grains were 30-percent less likely to have symptoms of depression. "Really the Australian meal plan is following the food guide pyramid, and following the food guide pyramid leads to the best health both physically and mentally," said Crawford. Crawford stresses the need for a balanced approach to eating which is what Paluzzi aims for. Her diet consists of meats, fruits, vegetables and the occasional treat. "I have one piece of chocolate a day, and once a week, I'll treat myself to ice cream or a sweet," said Paluzzi. Another recently released study finds maintaining a diet high in fruits, veggies and fish helped protect middle-aged people against depression. Here is the report from the American Psychiatric Association: Objective: Key biological factors that influence the development of depression are modified by diet. This study examined the extent to which the high-prevalence mental disorders are related to habitual diet in 1,046 women ages 20–93 years randomly selected from the population. Method: A diet quality score was derived from answers to a food frequency questionnaire, and a factor analysis identified habitual dietary patterns. The 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) was used to measure psychological symptoms, and a structured clinical interview was used to assess current depressive and anxiety disorders. Results: After adjustments for age, socioeconomic status, education, and health behaviors, a "traditional" dietary pattern characterized by vegetables, fruit, meat, fish, and whole grains was associated with lower odds for major depression or dysthymia and for anxiety disorders. A "western" diet of processed or fried foods, refined grains, sugary products, and beer was associated with a higher GHQ-12 score. There was also an inverse association between diet quality score and GHQ-12 score that was not confounded by age, socioeconomic status, education, or other health behaviors. Conclusions: These results demonstrate an association between habitual diet quality and the high-prevalence mental disorders, although reverse causality and confounding cannot be ruled out as explanations. Further prospective studies are warranted. Source: WSJ Link: http://wjz.com/health/depression.food.diet.2.1427667.html